Rail fence



T. H. MILLER RAIL FENCE June 18, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1953 Y r mH MW .0 d/ 0 6 June 18,1957 T.MlL LER I 2,796,236

RAIL FENCE Filed Jan. 13. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet z l I 'i 1i i I 1 2o i /9 9 ii 20 1 i r l & l {I IN VEN TOR.

- Thodore HMz'ller Hil y United States Patent RAIL FENCE Theodore H. Miller, Portland, Oreg.

Application January 13, 1953, Serial No. 331,067

9 Claims. (Cl. 256-59) This invention relates to an improved facade, covering or facing for framing members such as posts, girders and the like.

The structure which is the subject of this invention is referred to generally by the term facade which as here used refers not only to face or frontal appearance but also to the supporting framework of the structure with which the facade becomes interlocked or embedded in the completed construction according to the invention. The facade may take different forms, depending on the use to which it is to be put. For instance, it has been found eminently satisfactory for fences and other types of enclosures, screens, windbreaks, roof frames, and the like. For the purposes of the present description, the invention will be for simplicitys sake described as used in a fence, but it is not intended to limit the invention to such a structure as many modifications and other uses will be suggested to those skilled in the art.

At one time, fences and other enclosures were merely considered as useful for propery line demarcation or for protection against the undesired entrance or exit of persons or animals. During the past twenty-five years, changes in the living habits of many people have resulted in what might be termed an outdoor consciousness, This has been influential in causing people to move into suburban communities where they can enjoy the outdoors as much as possible, and particularly the grounds surrounding their houses. Architectural changes to suit these changed living habits have resulted among other things in a greatly increased use of patios, outdoor fireplaces, and in effect outdoor living rooms. The use of these facilities has created a problem of privacypeople wish to be outdoors and have air and sunlight, yet not be exposed to passers-by. According to one embodiment of the invention, the facade may be adapted to give any degree of privacy desired plus wind and sun control.

The present invention is the result of a protracted, analytical study of the problem of providing a simple, strong, inexpensive, versatile facade for almost any type of frame.

Accordingly the present invention comprises essentially members of some suitable material such as .wood having a triangular cross section and whose ends are mitered or beveled toward. each other. These members are combined and secured to one another 'or to posts or like supporting frames to form different facades. The. triangularmembers are right angled isosceles triangles in cross section and thereby have three flat, relatively wide sides comprising an hypotenuse and two equal sides. In the case of a fence, these members can be used either in the form of rails or pickets or both and can be readily fastened to and between two posts to provide a section of'fencing.

If, for instance, it 'is desired to make a picket fence out of these members, it can be 'done as follows:

Two posts of any shape'are placed upright in the ground at a given distance from one another. On one side of each of these posts, a triangular facing member is fas- 2,796,236 Patented June 18, 1957 tened. A top and bottom rail like the facing members are attached at their mitered ends to the facing members and then a plurality of pickets, having a cross section similar to that of the rails and fencing members, are fastened at their mitered ends to the top and bottom rails.

The various elements comprising the facade may be assembled and held together in any conventional manner and nails have been found to be satisfactory.

The facade according to the invention will not only be -attractive but extremely strong, out of proportion to the amount of materials therein. The facade becomes integral with the framework of the structure and, because of the triangular members and the manner in which they bear against each other by virtue of their mitered ends, there is an inner bracing of joinery which gives the structure great stability, particularly against racking because of the shoulder joints that are made between the mitered ends and sloping side walls of the members. Furthermore it has been found that a triangularly shaped member has considerably greater strength than a rectangularly shaped member of similar bulk.

A fence built according to the present invention has numerous advantages over conventional fences. Some of these are: all surfaces are readily accessible, which is particularly important for painting; by adjustment of the picket or rail members, wind can be effectively controlled; by virtue of the rotation of the sun, sunlight will get to all things planted behind the fence; there are no short protruding edges from the bottom of the fence and grass or shrubbery underneath the fence can be easily cut or cared for; fence can be shipped and sold in packaged sections, each containing a given number of feet of fencing; one side of the fence can be made flush so that a solid panel or screen can be afiixed thereto; window frames can be readily provided in the fence; the only tools one needs for erecting the fence are nails and a hammer.

A fence, according to the invention, is particularly adapted to be sold and erected section by section. Eadh section can be conveniently packaged in a knockdown bundle containing, for instance, sufficient fencing for a standard area 4 x 8'. If it is desired to have a higher fence, the sections can not only be assembled side by side, but one on top of the other.

These and other features of the invention will be made clearer from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 3 are top and bottom plan views respectively of a stile, rail or picket member employedin a fence, according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on the lines 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of a fence according to the invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of another fence construction, according to the invention;

Fig. 7 is a section on the lines 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a section on the lines 88 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a section on the lines 99 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of one form of corner construction;

Fig. 11 is another form of corner construction;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a fence using a post stile member;

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of a picket fence with a window opening in it;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a fence without stile member;

Fig. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a fence with a triangularly shaped post; and

Fig. 16 is an enlargedfragmentary perspective view with parts broken away and shown in section of a modified post and post stile.

The fence, according to this invention, comprises a pair of vertical posts 1 of any suitable material and shape, such as rectangular or square wooden posts. On .one face, or side, of each of the posts, post stile members 2 are fastened. Stiles 2, as best seen in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, are triangularly shaped members of wood or the like and have substantially right angled isosceles triangular cross sections. The opposite ends 3 of each of thesestile members are mitered at an angle of substantially forty-five degrees to the plane of the base or hypotenuse side 2 of the members.

, Posts 1 are set in the ground in the conventional manner at a fixed distance from one another. At least two substantially parallel horizontal rails 4 extend between these posts. Rails 4 have the same cross section or configuration as members 2 and are held by nails 5 (Figs. and 12) or otherwise suitably fastened at their opposite mitered ends to the fiat sloped sides of members 2. As shown in Fig. 5, a plurality of rails 4 are arranged in parallel between posts 1, and the fence sections, as defined by the posts, may be adapted to the contour of the land by means of a ground stake 6 which has the same cross section as members 2. The ground stake may be conveniently located about halfway between posts 1 and extends from the bottom of the lowermost rail 4 to ground 7. A shorter rail 4' extends from stake 6 to post 2. Rail 4' is in horizontal alignment with another rail 4 in the adjacent fence section. If it is desired to give the fence greater strength so as to withstand, for example, people climbing thereon, a plurality of blocks 8 having the same cross sections and mitered ends as members 2 may be fastened between the rails as seen in the right hand section of the fence shown in Fig. 5.

A complete fence is assembled by joining to one another sections made up of a fixed number of pieces of predetermined size. The points along which adjacent fence sections join each other are referred to as sectional joints and it will be noted that the mitered ends of the rails fit against the sloping side walls of the post stiles. This makes for a robust structure which will resist racking movement such as twisting or turning of the fence parts with respect to each other whenever some weight or other force is applied to the fence. The sectional joints between adjacent fence sections of the fence shown in Fig. 5 are best seen in Fig. 12, which shows how the mitered ends of rails 4 in two sections are in horizontal alignment and engage the sloping sides of stile 2 to provide strong shoulder joints, which are particularly adapted to prevent racking of the fence structure.

By reason of this construction, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5, for any given fence section having a pair of posts 1, the pair of stiles 2 fixed to the posts, and more generally these stiles together with the posts, form spaced, parallel supporting members presenting in the inwardly disposed sides of any adjacent pair of stiles a pair of supporting planes facing each other and lying at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other. The rails 4 extending between these stiles present in their ends, which have been mitered at an angle of forty-five degrees to the plane of the hypotenuse side of the rails, fastening planes facing away from each other and lying at approxi mately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other.

Figs. 14 and show other construction for providing shoulder joints between the rails and posts and in which the post stile 2 has been eliminated. In Fig. 14, post 1 has turned at an angle of about to the post shown in Fig. 12 and the mitered ends of rails 4 are fastened directly to sides 9, 10 of the post. Fig. 15 shows how the same shoulder joint may be accomplished by means of a post 11 having a triangular cross section similar to that of rails 4.

Fig. 16 shows an alternative post construction in which a If-shaped post 12 conveniently made of metal is stuck in the ground like post 1. A longitudinal slot or channel 13 is provided in the hypotenuse side of post stile 14 to accommodate stem 15 of post 12 when the stile is positioned over the post. Stile 14 may be conveniently fastened to post 12 by means of a wire strap or like clamping member 16 which surrounds the post and stile and holds them together.

While Fig. 5 shows the fence as used with horizontal rails, Fig. l3 shows a fence constructed out of similar elements except that it is a picket fence having upright members or pickets 17 rather than horizontal rails. How ever, the principal of construction of both fences is the same. There may be provided in either type of fence an aperture or window opening and, as shown in Fig. 13, the frame of opening 18 is made from the same triangularly shaped members employed in building the fence, sides 19 of pickets 17 forming the vertical framing members and members 20 identically shaped to pickets 17 forming the horizontal framing members.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a modification of the fence construction, in which adjoining horizontal rails4 are positioned with their hypotenuse sides 2' facing in opposite directions. As best seen in Fig. 7, the adjoining rails are oppositely faced whereby hypotenuse side 2' and right angle apex 22 of adjoining rails are in the same plane, whereas according to the construction of the fence shown in Fig. 5, the hypotenuse sides 2' of adjoining rails lie in the same plane (Fig. 9). The size of air spaces 23 between adjacent rail members 4 can be varied depending upon how close the rails are placed to one another. In this manner, it is possible to construct an effective fence for controlling air as well as light.

Figs. 10 and 11 show difierent corner constructions of adjacent fence sections. In Fig. 10, the mitered ends of two rails 4 engage each other at their mitered ends 3 to extend around post 1 and make an outside corner construction. In Fig. 11, an inside corner construction is shown whereby mitered ends 3 of the rails lie flush against opposite sides of post 1.

While the invention has been described with respect to a fence, it will be obvious that the construction and assembly of elements is equally applicable to other types of enclosures, screens, windbreaks, roof frames, and facades of different types, and it is intended to limit the invention only as defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A facade for a pair of oppositely disposed vertical posts, a plurality of parallel horizontal rails extending between and fastened to said posts, a plurality of vertical blocks extending between and fastened to said rails, said posts, blocks and rails having right angled isosceles triangular cross sections, the ends of the rails and blocks being mitered toward one another at an angle of fortyfive degrees to the plane of their hypotenuse sides, the ends of the rails abutting the sides of the posts and the ends of the blocks abutting the sides of the rails.

2. A fence comprising a pair of oppositely disposed vertical posts having rectangular cross sections, a pair of post stiles, one fastened to one side of each of said posts, a plurality of parallel horizontal rails extending between said two post stiles and fastened to said post stiles, said rails and stiles having right angled isosceles triangular cross sections and their ends being mitered toward one another at an angle of forty-five degrees to the plane of their hypotenuse sides, the ends of said rails abutting the sides of said stiles.

3. A fence comprising a pair of oppositely disposed vertical posts having rectangular cross sections, identical top and bottom rails parallel to each other and extending horizontally between said posts, a plurality of identical vertical pickets extending between said two rails, two of said pickets being fastened to said posts and the opposite ends of said rails being fastened to said two pickets, said trails and pickets having right angled isosceles triangular cross sections, opposite ends of each of said rails being beveled at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the plane of the hypotenuse side of the rails and presenting fastening planes facing :away from each other and lying at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other, said two pickets presenting elongated supporting planes facing each other and lying at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other, the fastening planes of said rails and the supporting planes of said two pickets abutting each other.

4. The fence, according to claim 3, and a ground stake of the same cross section as the pickets and adapted to be placed approximately halfway between said posts with one end fastened to the bottom rails and the other end contacting the ground.

5. A windbreak comprising a pair of oppositely disposed vertical posts, each of said posts presenting an elongated supporting plane, said supporting planes facing each other and lying at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other, a plurality of parallel horizontal rails extending between said posts, said rails being of equal length and having right angled isosceles triangular cross sections, opposite ends of each of said rails being beveled at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the plane of the hypotenuse side of the rails and presenting fastening planes facing away from each other and lying approximately at a ninety degree angle with respect to each other, the fastening planes of said rails and the supporting planes of said posts abutting each other, said rails being positioned so that adjoining rails are oppositely faced whereby the hypotenuse side and right angle apex of adjoining rails are in the same plane.

6. A facade comprising 'a pair of elongated spaced parallel supporting members, each of said supporting members presenting an elongated supporting plane, said supporting planes facing each other and lying at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other, and parallel rails having substantially right angled isosceles trianguler cross sections extending between said supporting members and fixed thereto, opposite ends of each of said rails being beveled at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the plane of the hypotenuse side of the rails and presenting fastening planes facing away from each other and lying at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other, the fastening planes of said rails and the supporting planes of said supporting members abutting each other.

7. The facade of claim 6, wherein the supporting planes presented by said supporting members are contained in members having cross sections conforming to the right angled isosceles triangular cross sections of the rails in claim 6.

8. The facade of claim 7, wherein the supporting members and rail members are assembled with the hypotenuse sides of all the members lying substantially in a common plane.

9. A facade comprising a pair of spaced vertical posts, a pair of vertical post stiles, a stile fastened to one side of each post, said post stiles presenting supporting planes facing each other and lying at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other, parallel rails extending between said post stiles and fixed thereto, said parallel rails and post stiles having substantially right angled isosceles triangular cross sections, opposite ends of each of said rails being beveled at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the plane of the hypotenuse side of the rails and presenting fastening planes facing away from each other and lying at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to each other, the fastening planes of said rails and the supporting planes of said post stiles abutting each other.

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